


A Mortal Lock

by Mimozka



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Introspection, Post Olicity's eventual reunion, mention of trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 08:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8659942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimozka/pseuds/Mimozka
Summary: They found their new place by a complete accident. Yet somehow, it was the most fitting way - one that combined all aspects of their lives. Their personal relationship and their professional one. A way that reminded them that regardless of how hard they tried to keep their partnership as Overwatch and Green Arrow and Oliver and Felicity separate it was simply not possible. Because they were all in. They were entwined in the other’s lives with so many threads that could not be unwound without their entire being falling apart. It was like Oliver said once - a mortal lock.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this was a prompt by releaseurinhibitions on Tumblr. Thank you, Lucy.

* * *

The decision to move was mutual and almost instantaneous on both their parts. Neither could live in the loft any longer and they certainly didn’t want to start their second (and hopefully last) attempt at a serious relationship in a place that held so many painful memories of the past, for each of them personally and for both of them as a couple. 

The loft was where Oliver found his sister bleeding on the floor and almost didn’t get her to the hospital in time, it was the place where he made the decision to keep William a secret and that ended up costing him everything. It was the place that still held little reminders of the fact that Felicity tried to build a life without him (which he didn’t blame her for at all, seeing as he was guilty of the same, but it still hurt). 

For Felicity it was her prison cell - back in the early days of her disability where she could not get around on her own. It was the place that broke her heart into pieces. The place Darhk invaded to threaten both her and her loved ones. It was where she was able to get an answer she sought for most of her life - why her father left - only to be faced with the painful reality of her mother’s actions. 

The loft held too many reminders of what both of them used to be. Their engagement party that turned out to be pointless. Their promises of forever to each other. The peaceful mornings, the rare quiet nights. There was too much “could have been” and very little prospects for what could be.

They were starting anew. It was only fair their home would mirror that.

Somehow they both ended up at Thea’s doorstep, sharing their observations with her with the other being none the wiser, and to Thea’s great amusement. She ended up telling them the same thing:

“Of course, it’s a miserable place. It was bought with Malcolm’s money.” 

And when Thea put it like that it was hard to argue with her. It made sense if one believed in Karma or that there was a certain balance of good and bad in the universe that demanded to be kept. Then of course there would be nothing good in store for anyone who benefited from the suffering of others. In their case, they lived in what was essentially Malcolm’s loft, bought with money earned by screwing other people up (and honestly? probably some assassination contracts as well). Naturally, it would hold nothing good for them all.

However, while the decision to move was unilateral and immediate, the decision of where they should move to wasn’t.

They had a list of requirements - Oliver wanted a “proper” kitchen, Felicity wanted a space for all her tech. They both wanted a space big enough for their family and friends, but not so big that would make them feel like they’re drowning in it. It was just the two of them, plus Thea’s occasional overnight visit. At the same time, having too many requirements felt silly, because between Oliver’s job and City Hall, and Felicity’s fledgling tech company that needed her constant attention, in addition to their vigilante-ing, they didn’t really spend much time at home. Sometimes they didn’t even bother to go there to sleep, opting for the pull out bed in the bunker instead, simply because it required less effort to get to.

And yet somehow, they both wanted to have a place to call their own. The boy who lost everything he had in a freak accident turned vicious sabotage, the man who spent his youth looking for a home and seeing each home his found ripped apart at the seams in front of his very eyes; And the girl who was broken from the start, who made a home for herself within her own mind to make up for how lonely she felt, the same girl who worked herself to the bone to always be the best but never seemed to be good enough for anyone to stay or to choose her. They needed a place to feel safe in. A place to belong to. Somewhere to keep their many demons at bay.

So Oliver and Felicity both made an effort and cleared out a couple of hours in their their busy schedules for the purpose of house hunting. The first ten or so places they visit were disappointing. Some didn’t match their needs outright - too far away from both their jobs; wrong layout and so on. Other places did fit their idea of what their home should look like, but failed to impress on an emotional level. To Oliver and Felicity’s credit, neither made light of the other stating they just didn’t feel right about a place. 

They found their new place by a complete accident. Yet somehow, it was the most fitting way - one that combined all aspects of their lives. Their personal relationship and their professional one. A way that reminded them that regardless of how hard they tried to keep their partnership as Overwatch and Green Arrow and Oliver and Felicity separate it was simply not possible. Because they were all in. They were entwined in the other’s lives with so many threads that could not be unwound without their entire being falling apart. It was like Oliver said once - a mortal lock. 

So when Green Arrow tells her over the comms on a cold Sunday night on his way back from patrol that he’s found the perfect place for them to live, Felicity felt like she was yanked back several years in the past - the memory of Oliver asking her out in the middle of a high speed car chase being at the forefront of her mind. And just like he was serious that October Wednesday three years ago, he was serious now. He sends her an address and tells her to look for the sixth floor on the west side of the building. 

With the help of satellite imaging (courtesy of Lyla) she spotted Oliver standing on a balcony and immediately after the big, red “for sale” stickers on the windows. He described everything he could see through the windows in as much detail as he could. There was something in the tone of his voice that echoed the warm feeling in her chest. She knew they’d found the place even before Oliver’s sigh of “this is it”. 

They signed the contract of ownership the very next morning.

  
  



End file.
